Monthly Archives: January 2012

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service has been an American federal holiday since 1983. While many choose this day to relax, sit around, and enjoy a day off, others choose to celebrate the spirit of the holiday and make today a day ON.

Every TWO seconds someone needs blood. So, serve your community today by giving blood at your nearest donation center. There are blood donation centers in your area! Just go towww.redcrossblood.org/southern, type in your area code, and a list of blood donation centers will pop up closeby.

While most Georgians basked in the glow of the holidays during the final weeks of 2011, Atlanta Red Cross volunteers were responding to 35 disaster calls, mostly single family house fires, over the two-week period from December 19 – January 1. More than 70 volunteers crawled out of their beds and left their families to assist 45 families in need of help. Assistance was provided to over 150 individuals in eight metro counties. Red Cross aid came in the form of temporary lodging, food, clothing, winter coats, and medical needs. One of the largest fires, which occurred at the Regency Square Apartments in Smyrna, displaced a total of 27 people, all of whom were helped by the Atlanta Red Cross.

“Disasters don’t take holidays,” said Nancy Brockway, Chief Emergency Services Officer for the Georgia Red Cross. “Our volunteers respond around the clock and throughout the year and we are grateful for their commitment to helping those in need.”

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.atlantaredcross.org or join our blog at www.atlantaredcross.wordpress.com